chemical_ali Posted January 31, 2004 Report Share Posted January 31, 2004 my telecaster's frets are noticeably worn but i don't think i wanna pay $150 for a refret on a $300 guitar just yet. does getting the frets crowned and polished make a noticeable difference? how much would this probably cost? i don't want to do this myself the "project guitar" way because this guitar is too special to me now. thanks in advance. --jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AlexVDL Posted January 31, 2004 Report Share Posted January 31, 2004 i don't want to do this myself the "project guitar" way because this guitar is too special to me now. Well thank you very much, I think you pretty much offended everyone in the forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsl602000 Posted January 31, 2004 Report Share Posted January 31, 2004 yes it does.... do a search on google or check the tutorials on project guitar. There's alot of info on that subject out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted January 31, 2004 Report Share Posted January 31, 2004 i HOPE that he just means he doesn't want to risk doing it himself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AlexVDL Posted January 31, 2004 Report Share Posted January 31, 2004 does getting the frets crowned and polished make a noticeable difference? how much would this probably cost? Well it makes all the difference if it's been done by a pro... your guitar would play even better as when you first got it!!! A level and crowning job is about 50 bucks overhere.. don't know the prices in the US though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted January 31, 2004 Report Share Posted January 31, 2004 my telecaster's frets are noticeably worn but i don't think i wanna pay $150 for a refret on a $300 guitar just yet I can't imagine anyone doing a great job under $150.00 unless they were kinda crazy and rich, and just did it as a "labor of love". Or if there's a prison somewhere where the inmates do guitar repair, I can imagine they would do it cheap and really take their time If they are worn and also "vintage size" , low frets, I always warn the customer that the frets could end up too low after a fret-mill. On a fret-mill, the frets almost always need more metal taken off than frets on a re-fret. On a re-fret, where the fret-board gets nice and leveled first, they only need a light leveling to complete the job. Let's say your frets are uneven, and the lowest ones are about .035". After a fret-mill, expect them to be .030"-.033" high. But if you have a complete refret done, and have .050" high frets put in, they should be about .048" at the end of the job. (but this height might be too high for you) Try to figure out what fret-height you like and that will be a big factor on whether of not you should go with having the existing frets leveled , or "going the whole 9 yards". Also , more than half the time, the board has warps and/or rises that should require a complete re-fret to take care of. Some repairmen might also take full or partial trade if you have some parts, etc that they could really use. Putting it off is fine. It's not like other repairs that really need attention right away. like an acoustic guitar's bridge starting to lift off the body. As long as you are keeping the neck adjusted as properly as possible, you are probably not causing any neck damage by postponing fret-work Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chemical_ali Posted January 31, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2004 i don't think that height is a big deal for be because the neck is already scalloped. i like it like that. my main concern right now is that in places where the frets seem really worn when i bend a string it "frets out" (bent string gets muted by upper frets). would a crowning cure this problem? i don't think i could set the action any higher than it already is (the high e string is at about 2.5mm at the 12th fret). if a refret is as expensive as you folks make it out to be, it sounds like i'd be better off getting a new neck from warmoth for $250! i'd like to know what you think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted January 31, 2004 Report Share Posted January 31, 2004 warmoth necks need a fret leveling if you want pretty low action. Your older neck is always more stable than most new necks. If the only thing you don't like is the worn frets, stick with the neck you know and love, and have it made better. Just don't pull the frets out before handing it over to someone for a refret. Man, I hate when they do that. Have you asked around your town what fret-work prices are ? North Carolina shouldn't be too bad, except maybe repairmen who are actually good might be far and few between. Unfinished fret-board wood, and no binding are usually the cheapest re-frets. Scallops could add to the cost if they have to be partially redone after a board leveling. Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarMaestro Posted January 31, 2004 Report Share Posted January 31, 2004 i don't want to do this myself the "project guitar" way because this guitar is too special to me now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chemical_ali Posted January 31, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2004 the only guy i know who does "real" guitar repair in my area is http://www.rrgadowguitars.com/ i was just wondering if any of you guys could give an estimate so that i would know if the price he offers would be any good. thanks, jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted January 31, 2004 Report Share Posted January 31, 2004 From what I have seen in the past typical fret jobs can run anywhere from $200-300 depending on what area of the country your living in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted January 31, 2004 Report Share Posted January 31, 2004 From what I have seen in the past typical fret jobs can run anywhere from $200-300 depending on what area of the country your living in. I've seen lower prices than that . And I've seen higher . Binding, finishing, scalloping, etc etc , add more $$$ Also depends what kind of action you expect. If you are super picky , get someone who uses a StewMac type "neck-jig" or check out "PLEK" if you suddenly get a wad of extra bucks to spend. Your location should make the price low, except if there's so few guys doing it, then they can charge more than if they had more competition near them. The internet sure makes it more competitive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted January 31, 2004 Report Share Posted January 31, 2004 True very true Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Bell Posted February 1, 2004 Report Share Posted February 1, 2004 I paid £45 to have my frets levelled and crowned here in England. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daddy ray Posted February 1, 2004 Report Share Posted February 1, 2004 From what I have seen in the past typical fret jobs can run anywhere from $200-300 depending on what area of the country your living in. I've seen lower prices than that . And I've seen higher . Binding, finishing, scalloping, etc etc , add more $$$ Also depends what kind of action you expect. If you are super picky , get someone who uses a StewMac type "neck-jig" or check out "PLEK" if you suddenly get a wad of extra bucks to spend. Your location should make the price low, except if there's so few guys doing it, then they can charge more than if they had more competition near them. The internet sure makes it more competitive the average where i live is about $250.00 i have the stew/mac neck jig in my shop it is a definate asset in doing fine quality work dial indicators let me see everything that the neck is doing as frets are pressed into place dr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarfrenzy Posted February 1, 2004 Report Share Posted February 1, 2004 I'm almost done building my homemade neck jig, I'm certain that it will give me a way more accurate fretboard and fretting job. I can see how someone would charge that much for a good fretting job, simply because refretting can be a pain. Before you get someone to do it for you, just ask them some questions to see if they use the best tools available to do a good job. Such as, do you press your frets in? Do you use a neck jig? etc. etc. etc. Also, ask for some credentials, and go play a guitar that he or she has refretted. That's what I'd do if it was mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daddy ray Posted February 1, 2004 Report Share Posted February 1, 2004 I'm almost done building my homemade neck jig, I'm certain that it will give me a way more accurate fretboard and fretting job. I can see how someone would charge that much for a good fretting job, simply because refretting can be a pain. Before you get someone to do it for you, just ask them some questions to see if they use the best tools available to do a good job. Such as, do you press your frets in? Do you use a neck jig? etc. etc. etc. Also, ask for some credentials, and go play a guitar that he or she has refretted. That's what I'd do if it was mine. that's what sells most of my work... handing em one of mine then showing photo documentation of the work when in progress talks cheap...definately play some of their work before leaving your ax dr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted February 1, 2004 Report Share Posted February 1, 2004 Yep, I know I became sold on the neck-jig when I first built one about 15-16 years ago. I recently added 3 dial indicators, and now even lift one end of the neck-jig workbench up, then slide bricks under it, so the neck-jig is jacked-up on one end, so the neck is in the exact playing position, not just tilted 85 degrees the one way. I've heard people call the 'neck jig" a "poor man's PLEK machine" but I've yet to see anyone say a guitar done on PLEK certainly plays better than one that's been done on a StewMac type "neck-jig" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daddy ray Posted February 1, 2004 Report Share Posted February 1, 2004 Yep, I know I became sold on the neck-jig when I first built one about 15-16 years ago. I recently added 3 dial indicators, and now even lift one end of the neck-jig workbench up, then slide bricks under it, so the neck-jig is jacked-up on one end, so the neck is in the exact playing position, not just tilted 85 degrees the one way. I've heard people call the 'neck jig" a "poor man's PLEK machine" but I've yet to see anyone say a guitar done on PLEK certainly plays better than one that's been done on a StewMac type "neck-jig" bottom line tho is all about paying attention if something doesn't look/measure correctly then it's probably not right & needs to be addressed before moving on with the job the neck jig makes it much easier to see what's going on dr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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